You have to work hard to be a good actor: Zareen Khan

In a candid interview with CS, she talks about finding her feet in tinsel town.

Comedy vs romance I enjoy both the genres. With comedy, you have to be impromptu and need comic timing. With romance, you have to convince the audience that you are madly in love with the actor who may be a complete stranger to you. Creating magical moments can be quite awkward but that’s our job as an actor.

Sustaining in the industry The industry is opening up to newcomers and directors are willing to take risks. When I made my debut, this wasn’t the case. People were not ready to experiment, one had to convince them about their ability.

One thing I have learnt is that: one may have all the right connections, but you have to work hard to be a good actor. It’s the only thing that will get you through. You may be pretty and have a bunch of contacts but that will probably just get you your first break. If you cannot convince people of your talent then no one is interested in giving you a second look. A film is a huge investment and people will only invest in you if they think you have it in you. Being an outsider in the industry is challenging as one can get lonely and feel overwhelmed at times.

Flab to fab We have erratic schedules which leave us with little time or energy for workouts. But the irony of the situation is that our profession demands us to look good all the time. Once I started working out, I became a regular at the gym. That commitment made a difference. I love my body now. When you commit to workouts, you are committing to some ‘me time’. In the entire day, removing one hour isn’t that difficult but it is probably the most important 60 minutes. I try doing different things. I switch between cardio, boot camp, dancing, weight-training and yoga. I am constantly challenging my body.

Across languages There isn’t much difference between Bollywood and other film industries. The toughest part is to get the language right. Apart from that, the craft and the passion is the same. In November, I will start shooting for my Punjabi debut film with Gippy Grewal.